Introspection
by Rukia Siry
Summary: They are Fairy Tail's strongest team - their past and their future, captured in one shared moment within the inevitable march of time.


A young girl watched quietly as the men laid the coffin in the center of the room; a smooth black case marked with a gleaming silver cross. An older man stood across from her, clad in a dark suit, staring at the ground. The girl's fists clutched helplessly at her own black dress.

And all she could think was that it wasn't right, _wasn't right at all_. Why did she have to go? Because everyone was so sad, and when she was here, it was always bright and happy.

Always.

As the thought came, so did the tears. Lucy fell to the ground, sobbing and sobbing, unable to bring herself to do anything else, because _she_ was gone, so what else was there?

"_Mama_!"

* * *

A boy faced a very solid-looking tree, smirking in excitement even as a particularly fierce gust of wind blew back his spiky pink hair and scarf.

Wait for it…

"Fist of the Fire Dragon!"

The boy's hand lit up with a burning flame, and he lunged, ramming his fist into the trunk with all his might. The tree shook, and the boy grinned. However, the stuff that fell from its branches soon after wiped the smile from his face.

"Ow!"

The kid knelt on the ground, clutching his head. Acorns, loose branches and stones (don't ask) littered the ground around him. "Stupid tree!"

And then, glaring at the debris littered around him, he got a pretty good idea.

"HAHAHAHA!" The kid now stood, arms overflowing with the fallen objects. "Igneel, wait 'til you see this!"

The kid ran through the forest, trying not to let his load of forest debris drop. But just before he emerged into his clearing, he paused, and then doubled back so that he wouldn't be seen. He climbed another tree and stood on a branch, cackling evilly. Sure, he couldn't see anything through the foliage. But that was where his guardian always was at this time of day.

"It's time for you to wake up, Igneel!" The kid dumped his load of rubbish, watching in satisfaction as it fell through the branches and (surely) onto the head of the unsuspecting dragon below. He waited for the roar of annoyance that would probably shake him right out of the tree (and most of the leaves up there as well).

But nothing happened. Natsu frowned and jumped out of the branches, landing nimbly on the ground. There was no one there.

"Igneel?"

* * *

In the land of Fiore, in a busy trader's town known as Magnolia, a black-haired boy stood in the center of the town. He wore winter clothing - a white jacket with a scarf and heavy woolen pants - and clutched a paper in his hands, creased heavily and worn with use. "Is this the place?"

A building loomed up before him, the largest structure in Magnolia as far as he could tell. Painted in cheerful colors, the building was in relatively new condition with the words _FAIRY TAIL _inscribed boldly on the sign in front, accompanied by an insignia curiously similar to a bird - or a fairy, he supposed.

Gray shrugged. "Might as well take a look." He glanced down at himself and froze. He now wore nothing but a pair of shorts, his shirt, jacket and pants having been thrown to the ground nearby. A panicked glance around confirmed his fears - numerous passersby had stopped to stare openly at him, and a mix of annoyance and furious embarrassment turned his face and neck cherry red.

"NOT AGAIN!"

* * *

The first sensation she was aware of was _wet_. She cracked open a single eyelid and found herself halfway submerged in water, gushing around her hands and feet where she lay in the surf. When she tried to open her other eye, pain shot through her body like a bolt of lightning, and she jerked, letting out a harsh breath. Then moving much more carefully, she raised her hand to her face and felt the makeshift, ragged bandage that bound it.

The girl's scarlet hair fell into her eyes as she pushed herself up onto her elbows. She was lying on a sandy beach, waves constantly washing around her before receding back into the ocean. Her clothing was in tatters, her body nearly completely numb - utterly disconnected from the world around her. Why was that?"

She shut her eyes as the memories came back. A huge tower. A flash of light. A betrayal.

_My name…._Given to her by the person she had trusted not so long ago.

Her mouth opened slightly.

"Erza…. Scarlet."

* * *

Lucy eventually recovered from her mother's death. But from then on, her childhood was never happy. Her father never had time for her, and she slowly began turning more and more to her magic for comfort. So she decides to run away from it all. And for the first time, she travels, free of responsibility with her spirits always at her side.

And one fateful day, she runs into a pink-haired dragon slayer who promptly invites her to join Fairy Tail. She'll travel even more, and have the greatest adventures.

.

Natsu never found Igneel. He eventually left the area and wandered, coming across a town called Magnolia, a guild called Fairy Tail, and a new home. But he still looks for Igneel every day, because he's absolutely certain that one day, they'll be together again.

.

Gray wanted to save Ul from the ice, and to do that he came to Fairy Tail - only to have his hopes dashed, ground into the dirt and left to rot. He stays there, though, holding onto the hope that he could gain the knowledge he needed to bring her back. He makes a new friend named Cana and later, a fire-breathing hot-headed rival arch-nemesis.

... Just between the two of us, if you threatened him a little, you'd find out that at one point, he had a rather _special_ crush.

.

Erza left her past behind, joined the guild that her late grandfather wanted her to. She met Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and together they became the strongest team in Fairy Tail.

Of course, later her history comes back to haunt her. But with the support of her friends and her guild, she conquers it - and truly becomes worthy of the name _Titania_


End file.
